S&P 500 Index Historic Calendar Year Returns 1926-2009
Chart of the Week for February 5 - February 11, 2010
The end of 2009 prompted the annual update of our Standard & Poors 500 Index ("S&P 500 Index") calendar year return graph. The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks representing larger capitalization companies traded in the U.S. The green bars represent positive calendar year returns, while the red bars represent negative calendar year returns. For the 84 years ended December 31, 2009, the S&P 500 Index posted 60 positive calendar year returns and 24 negative calendar year returns. The frequency of returns are skewed to the positive side as 71% of the time the S&P 500 Index had positive return years, while 29% of the time the S&P 500 Index had negative return years. The S&P 500 Index returned an average calendar year return of 21.36% over the positive years and -14.48% over the negative years. Overall, the average calendar year return for the period is 9.81%. For the returns each year, a table is provided below.
The S&P 500 Index may not continue the same pattern as the past 84 years. However, the graph confirms the long-standing belief that investors have been rewarded over time with more positive years than negative years. Also, the positive return years on average have been greater than the negative return years. With short-term market swings in the news on a daily basis, investors should view investing with their personal time horizon in mind.
View Data Sorted by Date | View Data Sorted by Return
| Return Ranges | Years and Returns | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% — 60% | 1933 | 1954 | |||||||||||||
| 53.99% | 52.62% | ||||||||||||||
| 40% — 50% | 1935 | 1928 | 1958 | ||||||||||||
| 47.67% | 43.61% | 43.36% | |||||||||||||
| 30% — 40% | 1927 | 1995 | 1975 | 1945 | 1936 | 1997 | 1980 | 1985 | 1950 | 1955 | 1989 | 1938 | 1991 | ||
| 37.49% | 37.43% | 37.20% | 36.44% | 33.92% | 33.36% | 32.42% | 32.16% | 31.71% | 31.56% | 31.49% | 31.12% | 30.55% | |||
| 20% — 30% | 2003 | 1998 | 1961 | 2009 | 1943 | 1951 | 1967 | 1976 | 1996 | 1963 | 1983 | 1982 | 1999 | 1942 | |
| 28.70% | 28.58% | 26.89% | 26.46% | 25.90% | 24.02% | 23.98% | 23.84% | 23.07% | 22.80% | 22.51% | 21.41% | 21.04% | 20.34% | ||
| 10% — 20% | 1944 | 1972 | 1949 | 1986 | 1979 | 1952 | 1988 | 1964 | 2006 | 1971 | 1965 | 1959 | 1926 | 1968 | 2004 |
| 19.75% | 18.98% | 18.79% | 18.47% | 18.44% | 18.37% | 16.81% | 16.48% | 15.80% | 14.31% | 12.45% | 11.96% | 11.62% | 11.06% | 10.87% | |
| 0% — 10% | 1993 | 1992 | 1978 | 1956 | 1984 | 1947 | 1948 | 2007 | 1987 | 2005 | 1970 | 1994 | 1960 | ||
| 9.99% | 7.67% | 6.56% | 6.56% | 6.27% | 5.71% | 5.50% | 5.49% | 5.23% | 4.91% | 4.01% | 1.31% | 0.47% | |||
| -10% — 0% | 1939 | 1953 | 1934 | 1990 | 1981 | 1977 | 1946 | 1932 | 1929 | 1969 | 1962 | 2000 | 1940 | ||
| -0.41% | -0.99% | -1.44% | -3.17% | -4.91% | -7.18% | -8.07% | -8.19% | -8.42% | -8.50% | -8.73% | -9.11% | -9.78% | |||
| -20% — -10% | 1966 | 1957 | 1941 | 2001 | 1973 | ||||||||||
| -10.06% | -10.78% | -11.59% | -11.88% | -14.66% | |||||||||||
| -30% — -20% | 2002 | 1930 | 1974 | ||||||||||||
| -22.10% | -24.90% | -26.47% | |||||||||||||
| -40% — -30% | 1937 | 2008 | |||||||||||||
| -35.03% | -37.00% | ||||||||||||||
| -50% — -40% | 1931 | ||||||||||||||
| -43.34% | |||||||||||||||
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